Most Refrigerant Leaks Eliminated – Climate Control News

With the HFC phase-out putting pressure on refrigerant prices and HVACR professionals struggling to contain energy costs, it is not surprising that refrigerant leak rates have dropped significantly.

Refrigerants Australia has released a major study on refrigerant leak rates in the Australian refrigeration and air conditioning industry from 2006 to 2022.

It represents the first accurate calculation of leak rates across 15 product categories and shows that most leaks are preventable.

The report’s findings highlight the importance of actively managing refrigerant leaks throughout the life cycle of RAC equipment.

This includes improving technician training, eliminating avoidable refrigerant leaks, recovering refrigerants, and destroying or reprocessing them for reuse at the end of the equipment’s life.

Refrigerant leaks are a critical problem because they contribute to both greenhouse gas emissions and system performance inefficiencies that increase electricity consumption.

While some common causes of leaks have been effectively eliminated over the past decade, most remaining causes of direct emissions are preventable.

They are largely due to inferior equipment and materials, the use of components that are prone to leaks, poor installation practices, inadequate maintenance and failure to remove refrigerants at the end of their life.

The main sources of emissions in the leakiest equipment category – commercial refrigeration equipment – are caused by failures in the containment of condensers, evaporators, connections, valves, connection points and piping.

In 2022, refrigerant leaks in Australia caused 6.9 million tonnes of CO₂-e emissions.

It is a truism that a significant portion of refrigerant losses occur in a small number of systems. These losses are primarily due to failures resulting from poor design, installation or maintenance.

For a medium to large refrigeration system, the trigger for a leak is usually a temperature alarm. In many cases, 30 percent of the charge can be lost before the alarm is triggered.

The development of wall-mounted and ducted split air conditioning systems exemplifies this design evolution. For example, older generation devices from the 1990s and 2000s contained HCFC-22 and had average annual leak rates in the range of eight to twelve percent.

In contrast, the current model generations in the fleet have leak rates of around four percent per year.

Another factor contributing to the lower leak rates was the refrigerant switch from HCFC-22 to HFC-410A. This new refrigerant required an improved flare angle. This meant that technicians had to upgrade their old flaring tools.

The angular displacement improved the strength of the flare connection and helped prevent leaks at the higher pressures that HFC-410A systems require.

The Australian market has shown that leak rates are falling as refrigerant costs increase and local practice improves.

The Australian supermarket industry is another example of the industry’s ability to reduce direct emissions. Leak rates were over 20 percent per year in the early 2000s.

Additionally, leak rates for commercial refrigeration applications published by the Australian Greenhouse Office in 2008 were 23 percent. Current market information suggests that leakage rates of HFC 404A and HFC-134a in major supermarket chains are likely less than half that

The study found that leak sources are generally components that fail and cause refrigerant loss. However, the causes of leaks are often related to system design, performance characteristics and workplace practices that increase the likelihood of leaks.

The likelihood of leaks is often due to the accelerated deterioration and eventual failure of equipment components.

The 2024 review shows that over 25 percent of leak sources reported in 2010 were effectively eliminated through the implementation of new components and processes.

Additionally, 45 percent of leak sources identified in 2010 have either become less frequent or are currently decreasing due to improved practices and improved components as the industry adopts higher quality components, manufacturing processes and materials.

However, 30 percent of the causes reported in 2010 continue to be significant or frequent leak sources, such as: B. Flared connections and return elbows on evaporators and condensers.